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Multi-unit franchise owner <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/tracy-bouwens-55083b61/?utm_source=1851franchise.com&utm_medium=article&utm_campaign=how-to-succeed-as-a-multi-unit-franchisee-tracy-bouwens-scooters-coffee-2715968" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">Tracy Bouwens</a> has a tip for franchisees with the goal of successfully expanding their portfolio.&nbsp;Start with a strong franchisor.There’s more to it, of course. Bouwens, who owns 50 franchise locations of <a href="https://franchising.scooterscoffee.com/?utm_source=1851franchise.com&utm_medium=article&utm_campaign=how-to-succeed-as-a-multi-unit-franchisee-tracy-bouwens-scooters-coffee-2715968" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">Scooter’s Coffee</a> with her husband <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/shawn-bouwens-4894456a/?utm_source=1851franchise.com&utm_medium=article&utm_campaign=how-to-succeed-as-a-multi-unit-franchisee-tracy-bouwens-scooters-coffee-2715968" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">Shawn Bouwens</a> in the Kansas City area says successfully operating multiple units requires three more factors: a strong team, good leadership, and finally, good old-fashioned grit and determination.&nbsp;But who you partner with is critical. In Tracy’s case, she thinks Scooter’s corporate team is a key component to her success over the past 17 years. “The support they provide for myself and other franchisees in the Scooter system is top-notch,” she said.&nbsp;It makes all the difference on days when the going gets a little rough, Bouwens says: “I feel like without that support and without that partnership — because it doesn't feel like a franchise or franchisee relationship; it feels like a partnership in a business relationship — we can work together and partner on solutions and continue to advance the brand together.”Even with a strong partner, however, it’s up to you to make it a success, particularly if you’re determined to grow. That starts with planning. “In growing your portfolio, infrastructure in your company is super, super important,” Bouwens says. “One of the things that I learned over time is that I have to be willing to prepare and plan ahead of growth.”&nbsp;It’s a lesson she and her husband learned over nearly two decades in the franchising world. “I didn't really know what I was doing [when I started]. The one thing that really mattered to us at the time was that our core values — our family's — aligned with Scooters.”&nbsp;To the Bouwens, that alignment meant that when the going gets tough, as it does in any business, having a healthy working relationship meant they could work through any challenge. “For us, that was a really huge thing,” she said.Watch the full video interview above, or <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BB2IpofN3-w&utm_source=1851franchise.com&utm_medium=article&utm_campaign=how-to-succeed-as-a-multi-unit-franchisee-tracy-bouwens-scooters-coffee-2715968" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">click here to watch it on YouTube</a>.&nbsp;

How to Succeed as a Multi-Unit Franchisee: Tracy Bouwens, Scooter’s Coffee

1851 Franchise

This Kansas City-based operator has 50 locations of the drive-thru coffee brand. Here’s her advice on the first thing you need in order to grow a successful franchise portfolio.

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